Stress Relief During Slipping Economy
With the economic crisis upon us, stress begins to play a major factor in every aspect of our lives. The purpose of this article is to provide comprehensive and useful information on managing stress. Experimenting with different relaxation techniques and exercises is recommended until you find the ones that work best for you.
Relaxation Techniques
Relaxation techniques induce the relaxation response, which results in the relaxation of muscles and lowered blood pressure and pulse rate and emotional calmness. It is the opposite of the stress response. Some relaxation techniques such as meditation, deep breathing and progressive muscle relaxation can be self-taught. Though they are simple in theory they take time and patience to master.
Exercise for Relieving Stress Exercises for relieving stress may be in the form physical, mental, or spiritual exercise - or a combination of all three, e.g. yoga. What is good for the body is good for the mind and vice versa. Physical exercise is one of the most effective ways of relieving stress. Exercising the body regularly is very effective in managing stress, on its own or as a part of a stress management plan. Getting into better shape improves your mental health as well as your physical health. When we physically exert ourselves, the body releases chemical substances (endorphins) that are similar in nature to opiates. These natural substances produced by our own bodies are free of side effects, except for making us feel good. When it comes to stress management, every little bit of exercise counts. Don’t think if you can’t commit to a stringent fitness routine that it’s useless. It’s not. What motivates people to do more of something is to do little of something.
Aerobics
Any activity that gets your heart pumping (aerobic exercise) will get those endorphins flowing and relieve stress. Though you should check with your doctor before embarking on any exercise program, walking is usually safe for anyone. Try to get your heart going a little faster for at least 15 minutes a day. Even a few minutes here and there of brisk walking can provide stress relief and improve your overall health.
Exercise in a Natural Environment for Additional Stress Relieving Benefits
Obviously it is more relaxing to walk along a nature trail than to walk along a busy street. Natural surroundings trigger relaxation responses deep in the brain. Even mentally picturing being surrounded by mountains, trees, or watching the waves roll in at the beach can have this calming effect. *Exposure to daylight also has positive effects on mood - another benefit of exercising outdoors.Exercises to Suit Everyone
From doing gentle stretching exercises to keeping up in a physically demanding aerobics class, stress relief can be achieved through a wide range of activities. Some people enjoy the solitude of walking alone. Other people need the stimulation of interacting with others, whether walking in a group, participating in a yoga class or other fitness class, or playing a sport such as tennis, racquetball, etc. Interacting with other people during exercise can provide additional stress relief.
Strengthening Exercises
Though not generally as effective as aerobics for relieving stress, many people find that getting into a strengthening exercise program does relieve stress. Strength exercises are also important to prevent injury during aerobic exercise by strengthening the muscles that support your joints. A toned body has as much impact on mental wellness as physical wellness.Stretching
Stretching exercises stimulate receptors in the nervous system that decrease the production of stress hormones. Stretching exercises also relax tight, tense muscles and increase blood flow to the muscles.
Other Exercises
Yoga exercises involve the body, mind and spirit. Yoga poses improve flexibility and strength and incorporate breathing techniques that aid in relaxation and general wellness. Stress relief exercises that don’t involve movement but involve both mind and body include meditation exercises and deep breathing exercises - both have been shown to reduce blood pressure.
Self-Indulging Activities Alleviate Stress
On the days you don’t exercise, do something else you find relaxing - whether getting some massage therapy, soaking away stress in a soothing aromatherapy bath, etc. Your health is important. It is not selfish to spend time on yourself ! How can you have the energy to take care of others unless you take care of your self? Make fitness a priority. Exercise effectively relieves depression and anxiety. Find an activity that you enjoy and feel the stress melt away. Relieving Stress by exercise, especially aerobic exercise, has been proven to be highly effective.A look at the role of chiropractors in the NFL by Dr. Spencer Baron
Well, for all of you fans out there, week one of the NFL is done…hope you enjoyed it. Do you ever wonder how it is these guys keep coming back, week after week, tackle after tackle? Perhaps the chiropractic angle has played a larger role than what you suspected.
One thing professional athletes do not have to worry about is healthcare. Teams want their players healthy; they want to get their money’s worth. Longevity on the playing field is paramount, because for every year a player remains competitive, millions of dollars may be earned.
A perfect example is the $35 million salary of quarterback Peyton Manning. His healthcare team would not use the “no pain, no gain” treatment principles depicted in the 1979 motion picture North Dallas Forty.
Scenes in that movie showed players receiving multiple shots of anesthetics for torn ligaments and tendons so that they could continue playing.
Today, athletes, their agents, athletic trainers, and medical doctors understand the consequences of disabling the pain mechanism and have come to align themselves with the chiropractic perspective — treat the cause of the pain.
All but one of the 32 teams in the National Football League (NFL) utilize the services of a chiropractor as part of the triage in managing and preventing injuries. (Only one team does not publicly admit to using chiropractic care — the Oakland Raiders.)
Three teams have two chiropractors who adjust players, and a few teams engage DCs to perform only soft-tissue work, independent of the adjusting DC.
The average pro football chiropractor renders 30 to 50 treatments per week during the season. With the in-season (game-playing) duration lasting 16 weeks (not including quarterback camp, mini-camp, and pre- and post-season), 34 chiropractors conservatively give 16,320 to 27,200 adjustments to America’s superstars in just 120 days.
The diversity of relationships among the 31 teams and their chiropractors has generated the formation of the Professional Football Chiropractic Society (PFCS). Our main goal is to provide consistency among constituents, as we take the best practices from each alliance and create a template to apply to chiropractors who work with other pro sports.
With professional football — namely, the NFL — as the best-run business in sports (next to auto racing), these parameters bear a critical view for chiropractic to position itself as an indispensable tool in the wellness care, improved sports performance, and injury rehabilitation of professional athletes.
A PRO TEAM DC PROFILE
Recently, the PFCS surveyed its members about their team relationships. A compilation of statistics from the survey reveals some interesting information:
• Titles vary. Of the 32 teams, 24 chiropractors are referred to as the “official chiropractor.” Three are specifically considered “chiropractic consultants,” while 24 are listed as the “team chiropractor.”
• In the media. Ten team chiropractors are listed in the media guide, which is sent to every media outlet in the country and beyond. Three are listed on their team’s Web site, which is the property of the NFL.
• Shared quarters. War stories whispered throughout our profession indicated that in the past, players who wanted chiropractic adjustments had to meet with a chiropractor in hotel bathrooms, parking lots, or back alleys.
Now, 26 chiropractors share the training room with athletic trainers and team physicians, while 10 give adjustments in the locker room, and three treat in the weight room.
• Have table, will travel. Thirteen team chiropractors participate in the arduous task of traveling with their teams and treat players in hotel rooms or at the home team’s stadium.
• Some contractors, few employees. Sixteen (16) provide services as (1099) contractors, while four are salaried employees of the teams.
• Varied compensation. The compensation for team chiropractors ranges considerably. Twenty of the doctors receive paraphernalia (logo-laden clothing, shoes, and caps) in exchange for services. Some are given season tickets, while others receive a stipend ranging from $5,000 to $30,000 for a year’s contract that maintains and spells out the relationship.
• Insurance reimbursements accepted. The fees charged by team chiropractors vary from $40 to $220. NFL players are covered by Cigna PPO; 12 chiropractors accept reimbursements for treatment. These reimbursements can generate $40,000 to $60,000 annually.
• Many techniques. Most of the doctors use diversified adjusting techniques, although four use low-force methods, and one uses sacro occipital technique (SOT).
• Much soft-tissue work. Approximately 84 percent of the practitioners utilize one or a combination of soft-tissue techniques. Seventeen use trigger point; 13, myofascial release; 11, ART; seven, Graston; four, Nimmo; and two, MRT.
• Game-day work. Catering to the needs of a team’s management requires 16 chiropractors to render service on game day. The most common weekday for treatment is Friday.
• Men only. Currently no women provide chiropractic services to the NFL.
PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS
Surprisingly, perhaps, the survey does not support the assumption that acquiring certification as a chiropractic sports physician (CCSP) or earning a diplomate in sports chiropractic would be career-enhancing prerequisites.
Instead, respondents say the most important characteristics to win a place on a pro team are a teamwork mindset and the ability to communicate with players and other healthcare staff.
Team chiropractors anecdotally report that referral was a key to working with the team. For example, they said, “I treated one player and he brought the others in.” and “I became friends with the athletic trainer (or medical doctor or owner) and they allowed me to come on board.”
If you have aspirations of becoming a team chiropractor — regardless of the sport — developing your professional expertise and honing your communication skills are essential. And being in the right place at the right time doesn’t hurt.
The important thing is that positioning of a chiropractor on a professional team will continue to put this profession in a high profile and very credible atmosphere —advertising we just can’t buy.
Chiropractors at the Olympics
Chiropractors have been invited to treat Olympians as team chiropractors since 1976. This year in China many countries have official team chiropractors supporting their athletes, and many more will use chiropractic outside of their team medical group. Athletes rely on chiropractic for two primary reasons; functional optimization, and recovery from injury. Chiropractic optimizes function of joints and muscles by removing restrictions that may limit range of motion or reduce neurological conduction. For the Olympian who is looking for that extra hundredth of a second having fullest range of motion and clarity of nerve signals is not just nice, it’s essential. Chiropractic enables the body to do what it needs to do at its best, whether it be healing it’s self, kicking a ball, sprinting through a finish line, or sticking that landing.
Dr. Andrew Klein, the official chiropractor for the 2000 US Olympic medical staff, identified a key reason why athletes have taken to chiropractic: it keeps them in top shape without the use of drugs. “Athletes have come to rely on manual therapy because the list of banned substances (for the Olympics) is so long and also because they feel it enhances their performance.”
These athletes are in peak condition just looking for that extra bit that they can get out of their body. Imagine what chiropractic can do for someone who has a whole lot more blocking their body from functioning. Imagine what benefit you could see from a visit to your chiropractor. Don’t spend the whole month on your couch just watching the athletes perform. Get out there and do something. For your body’s sake.
This next month you’ll watch records be broken, heroes created, and the beautiful function of the human body. It takes all of an athletes training to add up to the whole performance, from that extra mile they ran, to the mental rehearsal, to the team of physicians supporting them. So, when you watch that swimmer win by .0001seconds you can wonder what part of their training gave them that they may have their chiropractor to thank.
Spinning Toward Back Pain by Martica Heaner
Q. I thought that cycling was safe since it’s a low-impact activity. But after every spinning class I take, my lower back hurts. What am I doing wrong?
A. Many people assume that since you’re not jumping and doing high-impact exercise when you ride, bicycling is safe. This is a misconception (as is the idea that jumping is unsafe—it’s not). A 1995 survey in the International Journal of Sport Medicine of more than 500 men and women who cycled recreationally found that 85 percent had at least one overuse injury, and more than one-third of those injuries were severe enough to require medical attention. The truth is, any type of exercise from gentle stretching to long-distance running can result in overuse injuries if excess stress is placed on joints for too long or too quickly, or if joints are misaligned while performing a move. As with other activities, injury risks from cycling increase the more you do it. And certain body positions are usually to blame. The most common injuries are to the neck, knee, groin, hands/wrist and lower back. Surveys show that up to 70 percent of cyclists suffer from injuries to the spine. But you can often prevent, improve or eliminate back problems with proper bike setup. By sitting on the bike in the most back-friendly position possible, you can reduce much of the aggravating stress to the neck and the rest of your spine. Serious cyclists and indoor-cycling spinners, who mimic many of the behaviors of bike racers during their bike-class workout, may be at the highest risk because they hyper-flex the spine by assuming an extreme bent-over, flat-back seated position. Dropping the handle bars low and leaning all the way over is a no-no for almost everybody, and especially if you have a back problem. Cyclists who race can justify this alignment because it can help them win—bending over reduces the body surface area that encounters wind resistance and can improve speed. Indoor spinners are happy to hunch over to practically kiss their handlebars, too, but this is a bad move for them: The potential risk to the spine is not justifiable. Indoors, there is no wind and you aren’t moving, so there is no point to slumping over the handlebars, other than trying to look cool. And bike cred can come at a cost because this extreme forward flexion of the lower back can compresses the spinal discs, and strain the facet joint capsules, ligaments and muscles of the back. Some cyclists who train indoors for outdoor rides believe they should practice being in this position. In fact, there is no evidence that doing so will make an outdoor ride any easier or less stressful to the back. It’s better to save that bent pose for when you need it outside—if you ever need it, and unless you are entering bike races, you don’t. Bending over deeply also strains the neck because when you’re crouched down low, you must hyper-extend in order to look straight ahead. Again, save this position for a race. So what’s an ache-prone cyclist to do?
SIT TALL
First, raise your handlebars. The higher they are, and the closer the bars are to your body, the less you have to reach and bend to support yourself. Different brands of spinning bikes have different heights. The newest models are designed to be more ergonomically correct with adjustable bars that go higher than the original models. Aim for a hip-to-shoulders lean that forms a diagonal-to-vertical line, not a flat, horizontal line that’s parallel to the floor.
KEEP YOUR LOW BACK ARCHED, NOT ROUNDED
Be aware of how you hold your spine. Even when your bars are raised, you can still slump and put pressure on your lumbar discs. The key is to maintain a neutral curve in your lower back—this is the natural arch where you spine dips inwards a little bit. Spines are strongest when this curve is preserved. Try raising your rib cage high and away from your pelvis while seated. This will lengthen your spine and preserve that neutral, slightly arched position. Lean from this lengthened position.
DON’T SUCK IN YOUR GUT Avoid the big ab-tightening mistake that many cyclists make. Cycle instructors may encourage you to work your core or contract your abs. But many people pull their gut in so tight that they collapse their lower back and push their spine out so that the lower spine rounds, erasing that natural, strong arch. Stop this slumping pose by lengthening your spine as you lean forward and engaging the abs only slightly. Think of creating a wall of muscle, not a sucked-in six-pack.
TILT THE FRONT OF YOUR SADDLE DOWN
A 1999 study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that seat alignment can help a cyclist maintain the proper spinal curve. Angling the front of the saddle slightly down causes a weight shift that keeps the spine in its strongest position, with a natural curve at the lower back. Alternatively, avoid the opposite position: tilting the nose up higher than the back part of the seat. This drops your butt and can create the same low-back collapse as bending over too low or sucking in the abs too much.
LEAN FROM YOUR HIP, NOT WAIST
As you lean and form a diagonal line, keep your torso somewhat rigid and lean from the bend where your hips and upper thighs meet, rather than bending over at your waist and lower back. Some core-strengthening exercises such as the plank or a superman can also help. But your first step should be eliminating the main source of spinal stress by correcting your alignment.
Maximizing the Minute
This is the third installment of the four part series from Sean Coster, running coach.
Maximizing the Minute
For runners, minutes come and minutes go. Some feel like hours and others like seconds—reflecting our state of body and mind at that moment in time. Little real benefit is typically attached to any ONE minute of running. When it comes to nurturing racing fitness for the 10K through the half marathon distance, you need to make your minutes count.
Fast one minute runs with a brief, 60-second recovery will turn your strength and endurance into personal bests. The key to these weekly workouts is waiting to invite them into your training regime until a proper foundation of base work and stamina training has been completed (see “Foundations of Base Training” and “Making the Transition” for details). From this point in training, these 60 second romps will be savored for the speed currency you are earning with each bout. The runs must be no faster than your current 800m to 1600m race pace. Therefore, the most common mistake in this workout is beginning the session by running the first rep too quickly. Adhering to the painfully brief 60 seconds of standing rest between each repetition is the cornerstone to developing the speed-endurance that you will gain from this workout. The repetitions can be continued until a subsequent repetition deviates from the first by more than 2-3 seconds. Beginners will be pleased with the fitness gains that four of these reps can produce, while experienced racers over distances from 5K to the half marathon will likely be able to build up to 8-10 reps in a period of 4 weeks.
The body responds favorably in many ways to this workout. The heart develops a greater efficiency at delivering large volumes of oxygen-rich blood to hypoxic muscles. The 60-second bouts also provide you with improved running economy by requiring less energy to move the body in the running motion over the slower speeds. You’ll also develop an ability to find a use for the misunderstood energetic commodity of lactic acid with these peppy moments of running.
With the spring racing season looming for many with 10K’s, 15K’s and half marathons, anxiety can creep in over how to translate the strength of winter training into racing fitness at these distances. As the saying goes, “Reputations are created every day and every minute” so develop the reputation of a runner who challenges himself to continually improve by making the most of your 60 seconds.
Long may you run, Sean Coster
Sean Coster is the founder of Complete Running Programs, a custom running coaching service. To learn more about Sean’s coaching services, visit www.completerunningprograms.com .
Making the Transition
The following is part two of a four part series provided by Sean Coster, founder of Complete Running Programs (CRP). For more information about CRP visit www.crpusa.com.
Making the move from base training to faster running for summer 10K – Half Marathon’s. Part 2 of a 4 part series on training principles for these distances.
As you page through your training log and enjoy consistent weeks of steadily increasing weekly mileage, a gradual growth in the distance of your long run and a feeling of strength and endurance, you think to your self, “what next?” in the preparation for a personal best for the 10K to Half Marathon. The answer of course is…faster running.
Faster running that is done with a specific purpose to each workout will enable the athlete who has diligently built a solid foundation to make an effective transition to faster running without injury. If you are unsure if your base building phase was done in a well rounded manner by incorporating a growth in the weekly volume of miles run, running specific strength training and strides then refer to December’s article “Foundations of Base Training” for guidance on this topic. If you are ready to make the transition to faster running then follow CRP’s concepts below on how to do so.
Taking the strength and endurance you’ve built during your base training and spinning it into fitness specific to race a 10K to half marathon takes work in a few areas. Improving the pace that you are running when blood lactic acid begins to significantly increase is one of these areas (definition of Lactate/Ventilatory Threshold). A highly effective means on improving your pace at Lactate Threshold is to incorporate a type of Fartlek running. Fartlek running has been used in the United States since the 50’s in various forms. For improvement in distances from 10K to the Half Marathon I suggest the following parameters for your fartlek. Keep the distance run during the “on” or fast portion to between 30 seconds and 2 minutes. The intensity of this running should be slightly faster than your current Lactate Threshold pace. Each bout of this faster running should be followed by a float period or “off” phase that has you running easy for the same amount of time as the “on” period. This can be done on a run of any distance after an appropriate warm up. The total distance of fartlek running with the “on’s” and “off’s” can range from 4-8 miles depending on the athlete. A coach will be able to incorporate this running into your program with appropriate prescription of the fartlek running made for weekly volume of miles run.
Hill training has long been a means of building strength and endurance for distance runners. Hill running takes many forms, and each offers its own pay off to the runner. For the transition period we are speaking of I recommend incorporating a type of hill running that many find unique. Finding a short and fairly steep (8-12 %) hill that you can run up for 8-10 seconds is all you need. After a good warm up run followed by a dynamic series of running drills make your way to your hill. Running this hill near 100% of your top speed for 10 seconds 6-8 times is all you need. The key to this workout is to take lots of rest between repetitions. I would recommend anywhere from 3-5 minutes rest. This uncommonly long bout of rest will allow your body to go through a refractory period in which you can get more muscle fibers to participate in your all out burst for the top of your short and steep hill. This recruitment of muscle fibers is exactly the ‘why’ behind such a short fast workout for 10K to half marathoners. Many benefits are derived from doing such a workout, but one is that you are now bringing more help (in the form of muscle fibers) to the work of running at many different distances. Therefore you are building a foundation for fatigue resistance for future running at race pace. Do to the extremely fast nature of this running a proper warm up is essential to this workout.
Running economy is the amount of energy expended to run at a particular pace. We can all agree that being stingy is a good thing in distance running, and by spending less energy running our race pace we can likely improve our performances. In an effort to stimulate maximum running economy at race pace I recommend another type of shorter distance running for the transition period of 10K to the Half Marathon training. The goal is to find a distance you can run at 90% of your top speed, or roughly your 800m-1600m race pace, at for 60 seconds. For some of the worlds best runners this may be 400m or slightly further, for others it may be 250-300m. Let’s say it’s 300m for you. Head to the track and engage in your dynamic warm up, the one you would do before each workout or race, and get ready to run fast for 60 seconds. Keying on the best form possible and an even distribution of effort for the 60 seconds take one repetition. After this bout of running take 3-4 minutes of rest, until fully recovered then do another. This workout is successful if the runs each consistent in there intensity and excellent form can be maintained. The total number of these repetitions is very relative to your current fitness and ability. It can range from 6-20 depending on the athlete. CRP’s coaching staff can help you work workout’s like this into your overall training program.
Making the transition from base training to faster running can seem like an intimidating task. But when you develop a plan that focuses on key areas of improvement using focused workouts your mind will rest easy knowing your fitness is improving from the base you have built. Keep in mind that these training concepts need to be appropriately incorporated into your overall goals as an athlete by a coach. Self education is an important aspect of each runners training, and so is working with coach in an advisory role.
Long may you run,
Sean Coster
Founder – Complete Running Programs
Let Complete Running Programs help you reach your goals in running with our expert coaching staff’s unique approach to developing distance runners of various abilities. Visit www.crpusa.com to learn about our services.
Low Back Pain Cures by Sylvia Catzen
In less time than it takes to get dressed, I can show you two moves to relieve low back pain and release your upper back. These moves can be done pretty much anywhere, and if you don’t care what your co-workers will think of you, lying on the floor you can do it at work; in fact they just might join you! Did you know the most common job related disability in the U.S. is low back pain (National Institute of Neurological Disorders & Stroke.)?
Remember to be gentle with your body, bring awareness to the moves you are performing. Consult with your doctor before performing any of these moves. Be mindful, never force.
A carpeted floor or rug will work, if you have a yoga mat or (blanket), all the better.
Extended Pelvic clock (PT speak pelvic tilt/lift) start position, lie on your back with knees bent (no more than fist width apart), feet flat on the floor.
Visualize/mental image a clock face on the front of your belly. Noon is at the base of your ribs (xiphoid process) and six at the tip of your pubic bone. Begin tucking the pelvis up towards noon, stop when you get to the base of ribs. Lower back will be up off the floor (small bridge). Begin lowering the spine back down towards the floor and arching the pelvis into six o clock. There should be a gap about the size of your fist between your low back and the floor, ribs are down. Remember to keep the knees in alignment, feet firm on the floor. We are going for movement in the low back with stability. Repeat 3-5 times or more as necessary.
Can’t lie on the floor at work? No problem, stand with your feet under your hips (again knees are a fist width apart). Bend/Soften the knees, keep the knees in alignment with toes, stand tall through spine as though there was a string from the crown of your head attached to the ceiling. Visualize/mental image your pelvis is a salad bowl, spill your salad to the front of your body, this will cause an arch in your low back, now scoop your salad back up and this will cause your low back to flatten out. If a salad bowl image doesn’t work for you, think of a puppy. Happy puppy sticks his tail out; sad puppy tucks his tail under. If there is music playing at your workspace you could get away with calling this a dance move.
I just gave you two moves for one, now let’s move to the upper back. A chair will give you the most support. Sit almost at the edge of your seat, tall on your sitz bones, crown of head reaches for ceiling. Cross your arms in front of your body as if you were giving yourself a hug, hands are on top of your shoulders, they stay there for the whole move (no death grip or power holds) this is about release. Begin by moving the elbows up towards the ceiling, let your ribcage move naturally and allow your eye gaze to go up the wall and overhead. (As if you were watching a bug crawl up the wall and across the ceiling.) The tips of your elbows will stay just slightly in view (raise your elbows, eyes, neck and head to your comfort level). Slowly bring the elbows back down, (eyes, head and neck) follow to start position. Repeat 3-5 times or as necessary. You can do this standing too, use the above standing position and repeat the steps.
Keep moving, be mindful, and remember to breathe.
Sylvia Catzen, CPT, owner of Pilates on Broadway
Into to Gyrotonics by Erin Landaker
A new system of movement is making its way into the eyes and hearts of the public. Originally created as yoga for dancers, GYROTONIC® is quickly becoming recognized as a movement form embraced by people of all ages and ability levels. The spiraling movement of Gyrotonic embraces the natural circular tendencies of the joints. More formally called The Gyrotonic Expansion System, Gyrotonic is also a method of decompressing the body from daily stress and the life-long reaction to gravity. Specially designed equipment was created to assist the body in understanding the circular and spherical concepts that this system is based on. The idea is to focus on the health of the joints by strengthening and lengthening all muscles surrounding any given joint. By that we can then create a central connection to the limbs, giving our arms and legs the strength of our torso, and our torso the support of both the arms and the legs. This immense coordination creates a freedom of movement and good stacking for the support of the overworked neck and shoulders. Gyrotonic was originally focused on healing and cross-training super athletes. Now it has been brought into the public arena and the changes occurring in bodies young and old are surprising people all over the world. So vast in its abilities, Gyrotonic easily has more than 7,000 exercises. Boredom is never an issue. It can be beautiful, lazy, functional, rehabilitative, or incredibly cardiovascular; the tone of any workout is in the hands of the client and trainer.
Originally known as “The Art of Infinite Movement,” Center GYROTONIC® was the first studio to bring Gyrotonic to Oregon in 2001. Emma Ledbetter, owner of this successful studio, remains the only Master Trainer in Oregon today. She has created a higher learning place for instructors and clients of all ages and ability levels. Many other studios now offer Gyrotonic throughout the Portland area, although Center Gyrotonic remains the only studio that offers only Gyrotonic without the paired offerings of pilates or yoga, allowing Center Gyrotonic to offer seven Gyrotonic towers as well as specialized Gyrotonic equipment, such as the Ladder, the Gyrotoner, and the Baby Dragon, a tower designed specially for children. Center GYROTONIC® is nestled in the newly developing Northeast section of Portland. They offer everything from private instruction to group classes for every skill level. If you are interested in learning more, please call the studio at: (503)223-3741, or check out their website at: www.centergyrotonic.com.
The Warm Weather Warm-up Workout by Jonathan Eng
Strength training can help you look, feel and perform better in everyday life and the activities you participate in. It is important to the longevity of your joints and the efficiency of your movements. Most importantly it can help you enjoy your sport or activity until you, not your body, decides otherwise. The best protection from injury is a basic foundation of functional strength as your level of physical activity increases.
WHY: To strengthen connective tissue in order to stabilize and protect joints. To improve core strength and stability through lumbar spine and pelvic control, this translates to better balance and reduced low back pain.
HOW: Incorporate 2-3 days of 15-20 minutes of strength training with your favorite activity. Perform functional movements or multi-joint exercises because this is how you actually move in real life. The real world is not flat, progress from stable to more unstable exercises to increase muscle recruitment for improved strength and balance. For the majority of folks, body weight exercises supplemented with appropriate free-weight exercises provide sufficient enough load necessary for improvement.
Strength training is important so that you enjoy your sport or activity until you decide otherwise. Visit http://www.runneng.com/newsbriefs/news.htm for your free Warm Weather Warm-up Workout. Keep your summer a healthy and active summer.
Aerobic training and flexibility are also essential parts to a healthy balanced body and will be addressed in subsequent articles.
Health and regards,
Jonathan
jon@RUNNENG.com
Running Defined: by Sean Coster
Running Defined
Part 1 of a 4 part series on developing a well rounded training program
for the 10K through the half marathon
Running has a language of it’s own. Terms like Fartlek and Tempo are often used by runners of various abilities to describe their workouts. With the internet and dozens of texts available for the home schooled students of distance running there are few gate keepers to these terms. The question is when we discuss our running with each other, are we speaking the same language?
Anytime a conversation about a workout or aspects of the athletes training program takes place at Complete Running Programs, we take care to use terms everyone in the program understands. For example: A ‘Tempo run’ means something different to each runner unless a definition of the runs intensity accompanies the instruction. Furthermore any running done needs to have information pertaining to the duration of that run (distance and/or time), the intensity (pace, heart rate or ‘perceived effort’) and the amount of rest involved (if applicable).
The articles following in the next 3 months will discuss general areas of preparation for runners looking to set personal bests in events from 10K to the half marathon this spring and summer. The topics below include generally used running terminology and an attempt to define them so that the information in the next 3 months’ articles are clear to all. Where appropriate an example of how to apply the term or concept is included after a general definition. Keep in mind you may need to ask more specific questions of your training partners or coaches when some of the terms below are used to make sure you are all speaking the same language.
Periodization: the practice of organizing a season’s training into smaller sections that each emphasizes developing various aspects of an athlete’s fitness.
Macrocycle: a relatively large period of time within the annual training program that focuses on 1 or 2 goal races. A macrocycle is often a ‘season’. Typically 1 to 2 macrocycles will exist during a calendar or racing year. The macrocycle is used to frame the period of time the training plan will be created for. Example - a 6 month period before a half marathon that has been identified as one of the most important races for the year.
Mesocycle: a period of time that can range from weeks to months within a macrocycle that will focus on developing specific fitness goals. Example - a 4 week period of time devoted to improving general strength in running by conducting specifically chosen hill and road workouts in conjunction with a core strength program in the gym.
Microcycle: a short period of time typically 1-2 weeks within a mesocycle. Specific goals attainable within this time period are the focus. Example - achieving a long run at a specific distance and intensity, a particular workout at Max VO2 pace and 2 sessions in the gym during this microcycle.
Session: A session is one occurrence of training. Keep in mind this may be a run, track workout, strength training session or a cross training activity.
Base Training: Also referred to as a preparatory period, this period focuses on developing the areas important to conducting the work at race pace to come later. This should include a gradual increase in miles run per week up to a predetermined point, general strength and flexibility as well as balance, agility and dynamic flexibility training. For a in-depth review of the concept of Base Training read CRP’s article “Foundations of Base Training”
Tempo, Tempo Run: Tempo simply refers to the pace that one is moving while running. This can be described in an objective way like minutes per mile. However, the term tempo is often used to describe running that is at a pace faster than a ‘recovery’ or ‘easy’ run. Unfortunately how much faster than those paces is not usually described. Based on the work of Jack Daniels, PhD. we could infer that when the phrase ‘Tempo Run’ is used, it is attempting to describe a pace that is near the lactate threshold (see below).
Lactate/Ventilatory Threshold: is the point in which a net accumulation of lactate is found to be significantly increasing in the blood[i]. Since lactate is always present in the blood and your diet can effect the concentration of this lactic acid over various intensities of exercise[ii], determining an objective measure of this is difficult when directed to go out for a 20 minute run at Lactate Threshold pace. If a recent performance over a known distance is available, then this pace can be determined from existing calculators or formulas (Daniels’ Running Formula, Human Kinetics). More practically this pace can be thought of as a “comfortably hard” one in which this oxymoronic description is appropriate in that you experience a greater rate and depth of respiration but a feeling that this can be maintained for a relatively long period of time. For a fit endurance athlete this would be most accurately identified as the race pace one can maintain for a 1 hour race. This is a lengthy definition worth the space due to its common misconceptions and importance in the role of improving performance over the 10K to half marathon distances.
Interval: is simply used to describe a unit of distance covered in a running workout. This could be 800 meters in your 400m, 8000m, 1200m, 1600m ladder.
Set: a set can be used to separate groups of intervals in an effort to manipulate the recovery or intensity for the entire session. An example of a set being used to describe a workout would be doing 2 sets of 4 x 400m at a pace of 1:30 seconds per 400m with 3 minutes of recovery between each interval and 7 minutes of recovery between the two sets.
Pace: The velocity of a run; typically described in minutes per mile or minutes per kilometer.
Intensity: The effort extended while running for a given distance. This is often discussed in terms of a percent of Max HR and a percent of VO2 Max. These two points of reference require a known maximum heart rate and VO2 Max respectively. Jack Daniels, PhD. has integrated intensity and pace nicely using performances over known distances in his book “Daniels’ Running Formula” (Human Kinetics).
Recovery: is an amount of time taken between each interval. This is as important as the distance and pace run in properly conducting a workout. A recovery can be taken with either running at a specific pace or remaining at a standstill.
Keep in mind any type of running done that has bouts of recovery in it should specifically indicate the distance to be run (interval), the pace or intensity to be run and the amount of recovery to be taken between each interval and/or set.
Perceived Effort: is a means of evaluating the effort extended while running by subjective means. The Borg scale of perceived effort uses values of 6 through 20 that range from, 6 – no effort at all to 20- maximal exertion (complete scale below). These numbers are intended to roughly match the heart rate divided by 10 an athlete with a maximum heart rate of 200 bpm would have. The shortcomings of this means of evaluating effort are that the actual pace being run can vary greatly, particularly at intensities of 17 – 20 on the scale.
Hill training: any running done up (or in some cases down) a hill. Therefore a workout simply referred to as a hill workout needs further explaining. Hills are a great way of developing strength in running for developing greater top range speed. They can be used in runs from continuous and long uphill runs to workouts with hills incorporated in an interval of the workout.
Repeats: are usually used synonymously will intervals.
Long Run: the longest run an athlete has during the week. For more information on practical applications of the role of and how to gradually increase the distance of the long run see “Foundations of Base Training”.
Recovery run: a run at a comfortable and conversational pace that is used as an active recovery between more intense units of training. The pace of this run can vary as needed by the athlete to achieve a proper recovery pace.
Maximal VO2 (VO2 Max): the maximal volume of oxygen that can be taken from the blood and used by the bodies tissues over a specific period of time. Most often this is referred to in milliliters of oxygen per kilogram of body weight per minute. This term is also referred to as Maximal Aerobic Power. More useful is determining your velocity at VO2 Max. Owen Anderson, PhD. in his journal Running Research News, describes a time trial over 6 minutes as an effective way to determine your velocity (or pace) for 100% of Max VO2. Determination of this intensity can then be used to define the other training paces for a runner.
Heart Rate: The number of beats per minute by your heart.
Fartlek: is a Swedish word for ‘speed play’. In running this term is used for any continuous run that has some variations in speed. Keep in mind the principles of distance, pace and intensity when conducting a fartlek. An example of a well defined fartlek workout would be: after 20 minutes of running at 7:30 min/mile pace begin alternate runs of 1 minute at 6:00 min/mile pace with 1 minute of running at 7:00 min/mile for 20 more minutes.
Use the information above and other definitions you encounter to speak the language of running clearly to others. This will enable each of us to be effective in communicating what that great workout was you felt rounded you into your 10K shape and how to apply it to our training. Read next month’s newsletter for concepts on transitioning your base training into running with more quality to prepare for the spring and summer races at distances from 10K to the half marathon.
If you have any terms you would like to add to this list email me at the address below.
Long may you run,
Sean Coster
Founder – Complete Running Programs
Borg Scale of Perceived Effort
6 No exertion at all
7 Extremely light
8
9 Very light - (easy walking slowly at a comfortable pace)
10
11 Light
12
13 Somewhat hard (It is quite an effort; you feel tired but can continue)
14
15 Hard (heavy)
16
17 Very hard (very strenuous, and you are very fatigued)
18
19 Extremely hard (You can not continue for long at this pace)
20 Maximal exertion
[i] Better Training for Distance Runners. Martin and Coe. 1997 Human Kinetics.
[ii] Effects of moderate dietary manipulations on swim performance and on blood lactate-swimming velocity curves. Reilly T, Woodbridge V. Int J Sports Med. 1999 Feb;20(2):93-7